This blackberry basil lemonade is so delicious and refreshing with a unique combination of seasonal flavours!
If you love refreshing drinks for summer, try this virgin Frozen Blood Orange Pina Colada!
Do you know what I really love? Unusual flavours that surprise and leave you wanting more!
A few years ago I would’ve never thought of combining blackberries and basil in a drink. But after travelling around the world I learned better than to reject something new before giving it a try.
I will never forgetting my first taste of apple basil gelato in Italy, and being absolutely thrilled by that discovery. The taste was just what one would want on a hot summer day. Light, refreshing and simply delicious.
It turns out basil is a versatile herb. It compliments a heady tomato-based pasta sauce, adds a touch of extra flavour to some Southeast Asian curries and works brilliantly in fruit desserts.
It also adds a bring, refreshing kick to drinks like lemonade. But if I haven’t convinced you, try replacing with mint!
Making lemonade
I love experimenting with new drinks as it’s pretty low time investment if experiments don’t work out. Luckily this one did!!
When creating my lemonade I really wanted to use a combination of lemon and lime juice. I thought that would pair well with basil and frozen blackberries picked last August.
Just squeeze the juice out of the lemons and limes until you have about a cup of juice combined. Not all lemons and limes have the same amount of juice, so you may have to grab one or two more.
Add the juice to a food processor or blender along with the blackberries, basil and sugar. Blend until it is smooth and creamy.
I love everything about blackberries – taste, colour, fragrance – but not the seeds! You really don’t want to chew your lemonade, so best to strain the mixture through a fine sieve to make it smooth and seedless.
After that I was in the possession of the most delicious and visually stunning concoction! All was left to do is to add a couple of tablespoon of it to pretty glasses and top them with sparkly club soda!! Light and refreshing!
Blackberry Basil Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 lemons juiced
- 3 limes juiced
- 2 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
- 10 basil leaves small
- 10 tsp sugar
- 1 litre club soda/soda water
Instructions
- Cut lemons and limes in half and juice them. You should have approximately 1 cup of lemon and lime juice combined.
- In a food processor or a blender combine the juice of limes and lemons, blackberries, basil leaves and sugar. Blend until smooth.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and discard the seeds.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of the blackberry mixture per glass and top it with club soda/soda water. Add extra sugar if necessary.